New courthouse suffers water damage

TRENTON — A frozen pipe is the reason why the new, $52 million dollar, Mercer County Court house was flooded over the weekend

“There was a leak in the fire suppression system Saturday evening at about 5 o’clock,” said Julie Willmot, Mercer County Director of Communications. “An automatic alarm was set off and the water leaked for 25 minutes before it was shut off … there was an inch of water which leaked into the vestibule of the new courthouse.”

Carpeted area on the first floor of the courthouse was damaged as well as probation areas and select offices belonging to the

Mercer County Sheriff, according to the county. In addition, water leaked into down stairwells and elevator shafts flooding the basement and prisoner holding areas below.

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“Saturday began the remediation beginning in the evening and all through the weekend to ensure the courts could be open today,” said Phil Miller, executive director of the Mercer County Improvement Authority, which managed the construction and funding for the nearly $80 million courthouse project.

“Folks that have been effected have been relocated by the courts, we have an environmental engineer on site makeing sure the area is property dried out before we start rehabilitation of the walls.”

On Monday, courthouse employees who saw the extent of the damage caused by the flood, worried about the longevity of the municipal building, and were overheard complaining about its poor construction and possible mold which was been detected in the basement.

Miller confirmed mold was found in the basement and in offices on the same floor. “It is premature on know what the cause of the mole was at this point, but it is being treated by a chemical treatment.”

High powered dehumidifiers and crews where on site to clean up over the weekend. “It is too soon to know just yet however, insurance adjusters are determining the amount of damage to the area.”

This is not the first bout with water damage to the state-of-the-art building, which was unveiled to the public on Jan. 14. Heavy rains earlier in the month caused a leak in a skylight located on the fourth floor of the courthouse.

Despite extensive damage to the information and records room on the first floor of the courthouse, scheduled court proceedings continued throughout Monday.